The galactic HII region RCW 120

Comparison between an image of the Galactic HII region RCW 120 in the visible (R-band; as obtained by the ESO Schmidt Telescope) and in the submillimetre with LABOCA on APEX, highlighting the need to observe in this wavelength range. The LABOCA image has an exposure of only slightly more than 3 hours. The expanding shell causes the surrounding gas to collapse into clumps, which are the cradles of massive stars. As the gas in these clumps is still very cold, around -250 degrees Celsius, they can only be seen at submillimetre wavelengths. Thanks to the high sensitivity and large field of view of LABOCA, astronomers could detect clumps that are four times fainter than was possible before. As the brightness is also a measure of the mass of these stellar embryos, this will allow scientists to study the formation of more representative, less massive stars.

Źródło:

ESO

O zdjęciu

Identyfikator:eso0735b
Typ:Obserwacje
Data publikacji:5 sierpnia 2007
Powiązane komunikaty:eso0735
Rozmiar:2434 x 1164 px

O obiekcie

Nazwa:RCW120
Typ:Milky Way : Nebula : Appearance : Emission : H II Region
Odległość:4500 lat świetlnych
Kategoria:Nebulae

Formaty zdjęć

Wielki JPEG
1,2 MB

Tapety

1024x768
473,2 KB
1280x1024
690,5 KB
1600x1200
943,5 KB
1920x1200
1,1 MB
2048x1536
1,3 MB

Kolory i filtry

PasmoDługość faliTeleskop
Optyczny
R
630 nmESO 1-metre Schmidt telescope
Milimetrowy
Submillimetre
870 μmAtacama Pathfinder Experiment
LABOCA